Groups in Worldly Scenes
Basic Info
Christians do not live apart from the affairs of the world. They make political alliances; they engage in wars; they go on pilgrimage to holy places, passing through the world on their way; and they care for the aged, the sick, the injured, and the poor. Groups of Christians are sometimes depicted in worldly scenes including but not limited to the situations below.
Nothing corrupts Christian ideals faster than a political alliance. The Christian leader needs the protection or money of a political leader and is willing to downplay some doctrines so as not to challenge or embarrass the political leader. The separation of church and state is relatively new (only since 1776), and though it causes anxiety for some Christians, in the long run it may be better than the union of church and state. That being said, in some places where separation of church and state seems to be the rule, political leaders sometimes still make unholy (and often secretive) alliances with church leaders. Artworks often depict church and political leaders in scenes bringing both administrations together.
The Christian doctrine of just war suggests that Christians participate in war only if the war is “just.” The criteria for a just war are that someone else started it with damage that was lasting and serious, that all other means of resolving the dispute are impractical or ineffectual, that a war would have a decent chance of ending the damage being caused, and that the use of arms won’t create worse harm than the damage being done by the aggressor. Unfortunately, the types of dicey political alliances described above have often resulted in Christians’ entering all sorts of wars that hindsight would call unjust. Nevertheless, the ideal of the valiant, faithful, Christian soldier, battling for the sake of God’s truth, has often been the subject of Christian artworks, from the time of Constantine through the wars of the 21st Century. Often the soldiers or knights are depicted battling in groups.
One way Christians have gotten in touch with their past sins, with the suffering of Jesus and others, and a renewed spirit for starting over on the right path is by going on pilgrimage. Beginning in the late 4th century, pilgrimage to the Holy Land developed as a spiritual practice. Later, pilgrimage to other holy sites became popular as well. In the days before cars and airplanes, pilgrimage was arduous. Often it meant traveling on foot for months. Pilgrims traveled in groups to reduce the risk of being assaulted and robbed by bandits.
The Great Commandment of Scripture pairs loving God with all of one’s heart and mind with loving one’s neighbor as oneself. During much of the last 2,000 years, secular or public hospitals or aid societies did not exist. Hospitals and other centers to help the poor were originally founded by religious orders dedicated to a particular merciful mission to the neighbor. Saint Francis of Assisi, for example, served by tending to lepers and begging for the poor. During times of plague or famine in Europe, priests, religious brothers, and nuns were often the only people willing to care for the sick, as the risk of contagion was so high. Some of this work was honored in artworks, sometimes depicting groups of generous religious fathers, brothers, and sisters, other times depicting groups of those in need of support and love.
What to Look For
- The attention of the group (their gazes, their postures, etc.)
- The relationships between religious figures and the world or the worldly figures (service, authority, hospitality, etc.)
- The relationship between the religious figures and the divine
- The relationship between the world or the worldly figures and the divine
- Contradictions or consistencies between the actions in the artwork and Christian ideals
- The physical appearance of the group members
Questions to Focus a General Interpretation
What is the relationship between the religious figures in the work and the world (trusting, caretaking, fighting, educating, being beholden to, passing through, etc.)?
Does the artwork affirm or challenge the relationship between the religious figures and the worldly figures?
Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation
Does the relationship between church and world depicted in the artwork raise questions about the way your church community relates to the world?
Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation
What was the relationship between church authorities and civic authorities in the artist’s place and time? How might these relationships be reflected in this artwork?
